NBI flags 6 potential ghost flood control projects in Davao City

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday flagged six flood control projects in Davao City as strong candidates for being ghost projects. Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, NBI director Melvin Matibag said that out of 100 flood control projects inspected, 51 have been red-flagged for potential irregularities. "And out of those 51, there are six that are strongly candidate ghost projects," According to the NBI chief, investigators also discovered suspicious funding patterns, including a single geographic coordinate that received national allocation five times within a single General Appropriations Act (GAA) budget year under different project titles. "It was funded twice with P21 million and three times with P22 million." A single contractor, Genesis 88, allegedly secured around P7 billion worth of DPWH-implemented flood control projects between 2018 and 2024. According to Matibag, the owner of the company was allegedly close to Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte. Responding to allegations of political targeting, Matibag said that the NBI said it is also actively probing flood control projects in multiple provinces nationwide like Bulacan, Mindoro, Cebu, Quezon, Tarlac, and La Union. If evidence confirms criminal acts, the NBI will forward its recommendations to the Department of Justice or the Office of the Ombudsman for prosecution. "We will recommend it for further investigation by the Department of Justice or if it can be taken directly to the Ombudsman, we will take it to the Ombudsman." Duterte earlier welcomed the probe but called for more investigation in other provinces, including in the district of Matibag’s wife, Laguna First District Representative Ann Matibag. "We welcome Melvin Matibag’s statement on the flood control projects in Davao City’s First District... But I hope if we are serious about the investigation, the standards should be the same everywhere,” Duterte said. "We have videos of projects in Ann Matibag's district and the Discayas'. If there are ghost or substandard projects, we should investigate them all—whether in Davao or anywhere else in the country," he added. In response to Duterte, Ann Matibag said, "If Congressman Duterte has documents or videos showing possible irregularities in projects in my district, he should submit them, together with the specific project details, to the proper authorities. My office will cooperate fully in securing the records and in any lawful inquiry." —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA News